Providing remote software provisioning to machines

ABSTRACT

A provisioning server can generate a network boot emulator configured to provision software for target machines that may not support network booting. The provisioning server can be configured to build the network boot emulator in a format that is usable by target machines regardless of the software available on the target machines. The network boot emulator can include instructions necessary to locate and access software distributions, combine software distributions according to the templates or profiles in order to generate a software installation, and install the software installation on a target machine. The network boot emulator can also include instructions necessary to configure the software installation.

FIELD

This invention relates generally to software provisioning.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

Software provisioning is the process of selecting a target machine, suchas a server, loading the appropriate software (operating system, devicedrivers, middleware, and applications), and customizing and configuringthe system and the software to make it ready for operation. Softwareprovisioning can entail a variety of tasks, such as creating or changinga boot image, specifying parameters, e.g. IP address, IP gateway, tofind associated network and storage resources, and then starting themachine and its newly-loaded software. Typically, a system administratorwill perform these tasks using various tools because of the complexityof these tasks. Unfortunately, there is a lack of provisioning controltools that can adequately integrate and automate these tasks.

Typically, software provisioning takes place in a network environment.Often, a new machine will communicate with a boot server using some typeof network booting protocol in order to receive software provisioningservices. In order to properly communicate, the new machine receivingthe software provisioning services must be pre-installed with thenecessary hardware and logic that supports the network booting protocol.Many network systems, however, do not have the necessary resources ornetwork infrastructure to support the network booting protocol.Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a provisioning environmentthat can extend software provisioning to networks and machines that maynot support network booting protocols.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various features of the embodiments can be more fully appreciated, asthe same become better understood with reference to the followingdetailed description of the embodiments when considered in connectionwith the accompanying figures, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an overall provisioning environment in which variousembodiments of the present teachings can be practiced;

FIG. 2 illustrates the overall provisioning environment in which anetwork boot emulator can be created and utilized, according to variousembodiments;

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary hardware configuration for aprovisioning server, according to various embodiments; and

FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart for creation of a network boot emulator,according to various embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

For simplicity and illustrative purposes, the principles of the presentinvention are described by referring mainly to exemplary embodimentsthereof. However, one of ordinary skill in the art would readilyrecognize that the same principles are equally applicable to, and can beimplemented in, all types of information and systems, and that any suchvariations do not depart from the true spirit and scope of the presentinvention. Moreover, in the following detailed description, referencesare made to the accompanying figures, which illustrate specificembodiments. Electrical, mechanical, logical and structural changes maybe made to the embodiments without departing from the spirit and scopeof the present invention. The following detailed description is,therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense and the scope of thepresent invention is defined by the appended claims and theirequivalents.

Embodiments of the present teachings relate to systems and methods forproviding software provisioning to target machines that may not supportnetwork booting protocols. More particularly, a provisioning server cangenerate a network boot emulator configured to provision software fortarget machines that may not support network booting.

In embodiments, a provisioning server can be configured to include animage module capable of building the network boot emulator. The imagemodule can be configured to build the network boot emulator in a formatthat is usable by target machines regardless of the software availableon the target machines.

In embodiments, to build the network boot emulator, the image module canbe configured to select a set of software distributions, templates, andprofiles to be supported by the network boot emulator. Once selected,the image module can be configured to build the network boot emulator.The image module can build the network boot emulator by generating andcombining instructions necessary to locate and access the softwaredistributions, combine the software distributions according to thetemplates or profiles in order to generate a software installation, andinstall the software installation on a target machine. The network bootemulator can also include instructions necessary to configure thesoftware installation.

Once built, the provisioning server can be configured to provide thenetwork boot emulator to target machines. The provisioning server can beconfigured to deliver the network boot emulator to the target machinesover a network connection. Likewise, the provisioning server can beconfigured to write the network boot emulator to portable storage mediumfor physical delivery to the target machines.

By providing a network boot emulator, the provisioning server can extendsoftware provisioning to machines that may not support network bootingprotocols. As such, software provisioning can be performed withoutacquiring or maintaining the necessary resources or networkinfrastructure to support network booting protocols.

FIG. 1 illustrates an overall provisioning environment 100, in systemsand methods for the execution, management, and monitoring of softwareprovisioning, according to exemplary aspects of the present disclosure.Embodiments described herein can be implemented in or supported by theexemplary environment illustrated in FIG. 1. The provisioningenvironment 100 provides a unified provisioning environment, whichcomprehensively manages the tasks related to software provisioning.

In particular, the provisioning environment 100 can manage softwareprovisioning using a hierarchy of commands. In exemplary embodiments,the hierarchy can include at least four levels of commands. The lowestlevel in the hierarchy can comprise distribution commands, whichprimarily handle base operating system specific tasks of provisioning.The second level can comprise profile commands, which associate aconfiguration file, such as a kickstart file for Linux or otheroperating system, with a distribution and optionally allow forcustomization. The third level comprises system commands, whichassociate remote systems that are involved with the provisioning of thesoftware. The fourth level comprises repository commands, which addressconfigurations and tasks related to updating the software, remoteinstallation procedures, and optionally customizing the software.

The provisioning environment 100 provides several capabilities andadvantages over the known provisioning solutions. For example, thepresent invention is capable of handling a variety of forms ofinstallations, such as preboot execution environment (“PXE”),virtualization, re-installations, and image installations.

In exemplary aspects, the provisioning environment 100 enablesintegrating virtualization into a PXE provisioning infrastructure andprovides several options to reinstall running machines as well. Theprovisioning environment 100 can integrate mirroring of packagerepositories with the provisioning process, so that a provisioningserver may serve as a central mirror point of contract for all of anorganization's software needs. In aspects, a set of remote mirroredrepositories can automatically be used by provisioned systems withoutadditional setup.

Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary aspects theprovisioning environment 100. The provisioning environment 100 can beapplied to provisioning any form of software, such as Windows systems,UNIX systems, and Linux systems. In the exemplary description thatfollows, FIG. 1 is presented to explain the provisioning environment 100for provisioning software, such as Linux, and Linux based software, suchas Fedora and Red Hat Enterprise Linux by Red Hat, Inc.

In provisioning of software such as Linux, many system administratorsuse what is known as the “kickstart” installation method. Kickstartfiles are files that specify the intended configuration of the softwarebeing provisioned. Kickstart files can be kept on a server and can beread by individual computers during the installation. This installationmethod allows the use a single or relatively few standard kickstartfiles to install Linux on multiple machines, making it ideal for networkand system administrators.

The kickstart file can be a simple text file, containing a list ofitems, each identified by a keyword. In general, a kickstart file can beedited with any text editor or word processor that can save files asASCII text. One skilled in the art will recognize that the presentinvention may be applied to non-kickstart files in softwareprovisioning. For example, configuration files such as AutoYAST Answerfiles used in Novell SuSe Linux and Sun Solaris Jumpstart files may alsobe used by the provisioning environment 100.

Typically, a kickstart file can be copied to the boot disk, or madeavailable on the network. The network-based approach is most commonlyused, as most kickstart installations for software provisioning, such asLinux systems, tend to be performed via a network using NFS, FTP, orHTTP on networked computers. Administrators also find it desirable thatkickstart installations can be performed using a local CD-ROM, or alocal hard drive.

Using kickstart files, a system administrator can create a single filecontaining the parameters that are needed to complete a typical softwareinstallation. For example, kickstart files specify parameters relatedto: language selection; mouse configuration; keyboard selection; bootloader installation; disk partitioning; network configuration; NIS,LDAP, Kerberos, Hesiod, and Samba authentication; firewallconfiguration; and package selection.

According to exemplary aspects illustrated in FIG. 1, the provisioningenvironment 100 can include a provisioning server 102, a code repository104 which provides access to distributions 106 and 108, a set ofinstallation templates 110, a set of exception plugins 112, a helperclient 114 running on target machines 116 in a network 115, aprovisioning database 120 which comprises a distribution tree list 122and template list 124. Each of these components will now be furtherdescribed.

The provisioning server (from herein referred to as a “cobbler”) 102 isresponsible for: serving as a extensible markup language remoteprocedure call (XMLRPC) handler; linking to or mirroring installdistribution trees and a configuration database; hosting kickstarttemplates; hosting plugins, generating installation images, and thelike. The cobbler server 102 can be implemented as software, such asPython code, installed on a boot server machine and provides a commandline interface for configuration of the boot server. In addition, thecobbler server 102 can make itself available as a Python applicationprogramming interface (API) for use by higher level management software(not shown). The cobbler server 102 supports provisioning via PXE, image(ISO) installation, virtualization, re-provisioning. As will bedescribed later, the last two modes are performed with the assistance ofa helper client 114.

The code repository 104 is responsible for hosting distributions 106 and108. The code repository 104 may be implemented using well knowncomponents of hardware and software. Additionally, the code repository104 can be include one or more repositories hosting distributions. Thedistributions 106 and 108 can include bundles of software that isalready compiled and configured. The distributions 106 and 108 may be inthe form of either rpm, deb, tgz, msi, exe formats, and the like. Forexample, as Linux distributions, the distributions 106 and 108 arebundles of software that comprise the Linux kernel, the non-kernel partsof the operating system, and assorted other software. The distributions106 and 108 can take a variety of forms, from fully-featured desktop andserver operating systems to minimal environments.

In exemplary aspects, the installation templates 110 are any datastructure or processing element that can be combined with a set ofinstallation configurations and processed to produce a resultingconfiguration file, such as a kickstart file.

In exemplary aspects, exception plugins 112 is software that interactswith cobbler server 102 to customize the provisioning of software. Ingeneral, the exceptions plugins 112 are intended to address infrequentcustomization needs.

In exemplary aspects, the helper client (known as “koan”, which standsfor “kickstart-over-a-network”) 114 can assist the cobbler server 102during the provisioning processes. The koan 114 can allow for bothnetwork provisioning of new virtualized guests and destructiveprovisioning of any existing system. When invoked, the koan 114 canrequest profile information from a remote boot server that has beenconfigured with the cobbler server 102. In some aspects, what the koan114 does with the profile data depends on whether it was invoked with-virt or -replace-self.

In exemplary aspects, the koan 114 can enable replacing running systemsas well as installing virtualized profiles. The koan 114 can also bepushed out to systems automatically from the boot server. In someaspects, the koan client 114 is also written in Python code toaccommodate a variety of operating systems, machine architectures, etc.

In exemplary aspects, the network 115 can include a number of the targetmachines 116. The target machines 116 can represent the particularmachines to which software provisioning is directed. The target machines116 may represent a wide variety of computing devices, such as personalcomputers, servers, laptop computers, personal mobile devices, and thelike. In some aspects, the target machines 116 can represent distributedcomputing environments such as cloud computing environments. AlthoughFIG. 1 shows several of the target machines 116, the provisioningenvironment 100 can be capable of managing a wide range environments,such as datacenters with thousands of machines or server pools with justa few machines. Additionally, the cobbler server 102 can be connected tomultiple networks 115.

In exemplary aspects, the provisioning database 120 can serve as a datastorage location for holding data used by the cobbler server 102. Forexample, as shown, the provisioning database 120 can comprise thedistribution tree list 122 and the template list 124. The distributiontree list 122 can provide an inventory of the distributions 106 and 108that are hosted or mirrored by the cobbler server 102. The template list124 can provide an inventory of the templates 110 that are hosted by thecobbler server 102.

As noted above, the cobbler server 102 can manage provisioning using ahierarchical concept of distribution commands, profile commands, systemcommands, and repository commands. This framework enables the cobblerserver 102 to abstract the differences between multiple provisioningtypes (installation, reinstallation, and virtualization) and allowsinstallation of all three from a common platform. This hierarchy ofcommands also permits the cobbler server 102 to integrate softwarerepositories 126 with the provisioning process, thus allowing systems tobe configured as a mirror for software updates and third party contentas well as distribution content.

Distributions can contain information about base operating system tasks,such as what kernel and initial ramdisk (“initrd”) are used in theprovisioning, along with other information, such as required kernelparameters. Profiles associate one of the distributions 106 and 108 witha kickstart file and optionally customize it further, for example, usingplugins 112. Systems commands associate a hostname, IP, or MAC with adistribution and optionally customize the profile further. Repositoriescontain update information, such as yum mirror information that thecobbler server 102 uses to mirror repository 104. The cobbler server 102can also manage (generate) DHCP configuration files using the templates110.

In exemplary aspects, the cobbler server 102 can use a provisioningenvironment that is fully templated, allowing for kickstarts and PXEfiles to be customized by the user. The cobbler server 102 uses theconcept of “profiles” as an intermediate step between the operatingsystem and the installed system. A profile is a description of what asystem does rather than the software to be installed. For instance, aprofile might describe a virtual web server with X amount of RAM, Yamounts of disk space, running a Linux distribution Z, and with ananswer file W.

In exemplary aspects, the cobbler server 102 can provide a command lineinterface to configure a boot server in which it is installed. Forexample, the format of the cobbler server 102 commands can be generallyin the format of: cobbler command [subcommand] [—arg1=] [—arg2=]. Thus,a user can specify various aspects of software provisioning via a singleinterface, such as a command line interface or other known interface.Examples of exemplary cobbler commands can be found in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/763,315 and U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/763,333, the disclosures of which are incorporated by referenceherein in their entirety.

According to exemplary aspects, a user can use various commands of theprovisioning environment 100 to specify distributions and install treeshosted by the code repository 104, such as a distribution from thedistributions 106 or 108. A user can add or import a distribution orimport it from installation media or an external network location.

According to exemplary aspects, in order to import a distribution, thecobbler server 102 can auto-add distributions and profiles from remotesources, whether this is an installation media (such as a DVD), an NFSpath, or an rsync mirror. When importing a rsync mirror, the cobblerserver 102 can try to detect the distribution type and automaticallyassign kickstarts. By default in some embodiments, the cobbler servercan provision by erasing the hard drive, setting up eth0 for DHCP, andusing a default password. If this is undesirable, an administrator mayedit the kickstart files in /etc/cobbler to do something else or changethe kickstart setting after the cobbler server 102 creates the profile.

According to exemplary aspects, a user may map profiles to thedistributions and map systems to the profiles using profile commands andsystems commands of the provisioning environment 100. A profileassociates a distribution to additional specialized options, such as akickstart automation file. In the cobbler server 102, profiles are theunit of provisioning and at least one profile exists for everydistribution to be provisioned. A profile might represent, for instance,a web server or desktop configuration.

According to exemplary aspects, a user can map systems to profiles usingsystem commands. Systems commands can assign a piece of hardware withcobbler server 102 to a profile. Systems can be defined by hostname,Internet Protocol (IP) address, or MAC address. When available, use ofthe MAC address to assign systems can be preferred.

According to exemplary aspects, the user can map repositories andprofiles using repository commands. Repository commands can addressconfigurations and tasks related to updating the software, remoteinstallation procedures, and optionally customizing the software. Theserepository commands can also specify mirroring of the provisionedsoftware to remote servers. Repository mirroring can allow the cobblerserver 102 to mirror not only install the trees 106 and 108, but alsooptional packages, third party content, and updates. Mirroring can beuseful for faster, more up-to-date installations and faster updates, orproviding software on restricted networks. The cobbler server 102 canalso include other administrative features, such as allowing the user toview their provisioning configuration or information tracking the statusof a requested software installation.

According to exemplary aspects, a user can utilize commands to create aprovisioning infrastructure from a distribution mirror. Then a defaultPXE configuration is created, so that by default systems will PXE bootinto a fully automated install process for that distribution. Thedistribution mirror can be a network rsync mirror or a mounted DVDlocation.

According to exemplary aspects, the administrator uses a local kerneland initrd file (already downloaded), and shows how profiles would becreated using two different kickstarts—one for a web serverconfiguration and one for a database server. Then, a machine can beassigned to each profile.

According to exemplary aspects, a repo mirror can be set up for tworepositories, and create a profile that will auto install thoserepository configurations on provisioned systems using that profile.

According to exemplary aspects, in addition to normal provisioning, thecobbler server 102 can support yet another option, called “enchant”.Enchant takes a configuration that has already been defined and appliesit to a remote system that might not have the remote helper programinstalled. Users might want to use this command to replace a server thatis being repurposed, or when no PXE environment can be created. Thus,the enchant option allows the remote the koan client 114 to be executedremotely from the cobbler server 102.

According to aspects, if the cobbler server 102 is configured to mirrorcertain repositories, the cobbler server 102 can then be used toassociate profiles with those repositories. Systems installed underthose profiles can be auto configured to use these repository mirrors incommands and, if supported, these repositories can be leveraged. Thiscan be useful for a large install base, fast installation and upgradesfor systems are desired, or software not in a standard repository existsand provisioned systems are desired to know about that repository.

According to exemplary aspects, the cobbler server 102 may also keeptrack of the status of kickstarting machines. For example, the “cobblerstatus” will show when the cobbler server 102 thinks a machine startedkickstarting and when it last requested a file. This can be a desirableway to track machines that may have gone inactive during kickstarts. Thecobbler server 102 can also make a special request in the post sectionof the kickstart to signal when a machine is finished kickstarting.

According to exemplary aspects, for certain commands, the cobbler server102 will create new virtualized guests on a machine in accordance to theorders from the cobbler server 102. Once finished, an administrator mayuse additional commands on the guest or other operations. The cobblerserver 102 can automatically name domains based on their MAC addresses.For re-kickstarting, the cobbler server 102 can reprovision the system,deleting any current data and replacing it with the results of a networkinstall.

According to exemplary aspects, the cobbler server 102 can configureboot methods for the provisioning requested by the user. For example,the cobbler server 102 can configure a PXE environment, such as anetwork card BIOS. Alternatively, the cobbler server 102 can compile andconfigure information for koan client 104. The cobbler server 102 canalso optionally configured DHCP and DNS configuration information.

According to exemplary aspects, the cobbler server 102 can serve therequest of the koan client 114. The koan client 114 can acknowledge theservice of information of the cobbler server 102 and then can initiateinstallation of the software being provisioned. Additionally, the koanclient 114 can either install the requested software, e.g., replace theexisting operating system, or install a virtual machine.

FIG. 2 illustrates aspects of the provisioning environment 100 thatextends software provisioning to target machines 128 in a network 130that may not support network booting protocols. In embodiments as shown,the cobbler server 102 can include an image module 131 and can beconnected to an media writer 132. In embodiments, the image module 131can be configured to build a network boot emulator 134 that extendssoftware provisioning to target machines 128. The image module 131 canbe configured to build the network boot emulator 134 in a format that isusable by any of the target machines 128 regardless of the softwareavailable on the target machines. For example, the network boot emulator134 can be in a disk image file (“ISO image”).

In embodiments, to build the network boot emulator 134, the image module131 can be configured to select a set of the distributions 106 and 108,the templates 110, and the profiles to be supported by the network bootemulator 134. The distributions, templates, and profiles supported canbe based on the requirements of the network boot emulator 134. Forexample, the image module 131 can select the supported distributions,templates, and profiles based on predetermined installationconfigurations, such as server installations, client installations,database installations, and the like. Likewise, the image module 131 canselect the supported distributions, templates, and profiles based onrequirements received from the user of the target machines 128.

In embodiments, once selected, the image module 131 can be configured tobuild the network boot emulator 134. The image module 131 can build thenetwork boot emulator 134 by generating and combining instructionsnecessary to locate and access the distributions 106 and 108, combinethe distributions 106 and 108 according to the templates 110 and/or theprofile to generate a software installation, and install the softwareinstallation on the target machine 128. The network boot emulator 134can also include instructions necessary to configure the softwareinstallation. The image module 131 can build the network boot emulator134 using any type of well-known programming language. Additionally, theimage module 131 can be configured to build the network boot emulator134 in a format, such as an ISO image, that is usable by any of thetarget machines 128 regardless of the software available on the targetmachines.

In particular, in embodiments, the network boot emulator 134 can includeinstructions in order to generate a user interface. The user interfacecan be configured to allow a user of the target machines 128 to selectthe software to be installed on the target machines 128. The userinterface can allow the user to select a particular set of distributions104 and 106 and third party software for provisioning. Additionally, theuser interface can allow the user to select particular templates and/orprofiles on which to base the software installation. Also, the userinterface can allow the user to enter configuration information for thetarget machines, such as system specification, network setting, securitysettings, and the like, to be used in the provisioning and the softwareinstallation.

Further, in embodiments, the network boot emulator 134 can includeinstructions to retrieve and perform the software provisioning incoordination with the generated user interface. In particular, thenetwork boot emulator 134 can include instructions and scripts tocommunicate with the cobbler server 102 to request the distributions 106and 108, third party software, the templates 110, and the profiles.Additionally, the network boot emulator 134 can include instructions andscripts to independently acquire the distributions 106 and 108 and thirdparty software.

Additionally, in embodiments, the image module 131 can be configured toinclude, with the network boot emulator 134, one or all of thedistributions 106 and 108, third party software, the templates 110, andthe profiles supported by the network boot emulator 134. As such, thenetwork boot emulator 134 can perform the software provisioning withoutretrieving any additional data or retrieving only the data not includedwith the network boot emulator 134.

Once built, the cobbler server 102 can be configured to deliver thenetwork boot emulator 134 to the target machines 128. In embodiments,the cobbler server 102 can be configured to deliver the network bootemulator 134 to the target machines 128 over a network connection withnetwork 130.

Likewise, in embodiments, the cobbler server 102 can utilize the mediawriter 132 to write the network boot emulator 134 to a portable storagemedium 136. The media writer can be any type of device capable ofwriting data to the portable storage medium 136. The portable storagemedia 136 can be any type of portable storage such as a compact disk(CD), digital versatile disk (DVD), portable hard drive, portable flashstorage, and the like. Once written, the portable storage media 136 canbe delivered to the target machines 128 via any type of physicaltransportation channel.

As described above, the network boot emulator 134 can be utilized toprovision software on a target machine 128. Additionally, inembodiments, the network boot emulator 134 can be utilized by a targetmachine 128 to provide software provisioning to other target machines128 in network 130. As such, the network boot emulator 134 can beinstantiated on a target machine 128 in order to utilize that targetmachine 128 as a boot server and/or provisioning server for other targetmachines 128 in network 130.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary diagram of hardware and other resourcesthat can be incorporated in the cobbler server 102 configured tocommunicate with the network 130 and the target machines in network 130,according to embodiments. In embodiments as shown, the cobbler server102 can comprise a processor 300 communicating with memory 302, such aselectronic random access memory, operating under control of or inconjunction with operating system 306. Operating system 306 can be, forexample, a distribution of the Linux™ operating system, the Unix™operating system, or other open-source or proprietary operating systemor platform. Processor 300 also communicates with the provisioningdatabase 120, such as a database stored on a local hard drive. Whileillustrated as a local database in the cobbler server 102, theprovisioning database 120 can be separate from the cobbler server 102and the cobbler server 102 can be configured to communicate with theremote provisioning database 120.

Processor 300 further communicates with network interface 304, such asan Ethernet or wireless data connection, which in turn communicates withone or more networks 130, such as the Internet or other public orprivate networks. Processor 300 also communicates with the provisioningdatabase 120 and the image module 131 to execute control logic andperform the provisioning processes and the inventory processes describedabove.

The cobbler server 102 can also be configured to communicate with themedia writer 132. While illustrated as being separate from the cobblerserver 102, the media writer 132 can be incorporated into the cobblerserver 102. Other configurations of the cobbler server 102, associatednetwork connections, and other hardware and software resources arepossible.

While FIG. 3 illustrates the cobbler server 102 as a standalone systemcomprising a combination of hardware and software, the cobbler server102 can also be implemented as a software application or program capableof being executed by a convention computer platform. Likewise, thecobbler server 102 can also be implemented as a software module orprogram module capable of being incorporated in other softwareapplications and programs. In either case, the cobbler server 102 can beimplemented in any type of conventional proprietary or open-sourcecomputer language.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flow diagram of overall creation of a network bootemulator in the provisioning environment 100, according to embodimentsof the present teachings. In 402, processing can begin. In 404, theimage module 131 can be configured to select a set of softwaredistributions, templates, and profiles to be supported by the networkboot emulator. The distributions, templates, and profiles supported canbe based on the requirements of the network boot emulator 134. Forexample, the image module 131 can select the supported distributions,templates, and profiles based on predetermined installationconfigurations, such as server installations, client installations,database installations, and the like. Likewise, the image module 131 canselect the supported distributions, templates, and profiles based onrequirements received from the user of the target machines 128.

Once selected, in 406, the image module 131 can be configured to buildthe network boot emulator 134. The image module 131 can build thenetwork boot emulator 134 by generating and combining instructionsnecessary to locate and access the software distributions, combine thesoftware distributions according to the templates and/or profiles inorder to generate a software installation, and install the softwareinstallation on a target machine. The network boot emulator 134 can alsoinclude instructions necessary to configure the software installation.

Once built, in 408, the cobbler server 102 can be configured to providethe network boot emulator 134 to the target machines 128. The cobblerserver 102 can be configured to deliver the network boot emulator 134 tothe target machines 128 over a network connection. Likewise, the cobblerserver 102 can be configured, using media writer 132, to write thenetwork boot emulator 134 to a portable storage medium 136 for physicaldelivery to the target machines.

In 410, the target machines 128 can utilize the network boot emulator toperform software provisioning. In 412, the process can end, but theprocess can return to any point and repeat.

While the invention has been described with reference to the exemplaryembodiments thereof, those skilled in the art will be able to makevarious modifications to the described embodiments without departingfrom the true spirit and scope. The terms and descriptions used hereinare set forth by way of illustration only and are not meant aslimitations. In particular, although the method has been described byexamples, the steps of the method may be performed in a different orderthan illustrated or simultaneously. Those skilled in the art willrecognize that these and other variations are possible within the spiritand scope as defined in the following claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: building, by a server, anetwork boot emulator that comprises instructions to locate a pluralityof software distributions and a template, generate a softwareinstallation from the plurality of software distributions in view of thetemplate, wherein the template comprises instructions for combining thesoftware distributions, and install the software installation on asystem hosting the network boot emulator; providing the network bootemulator to a target system that is not supported by any network bootingprotocols via a network; and provisioning, by a processor of the server,the plurality of software distributions to the target system withoutacquiring or maintaining resources or network infrastructure to supportany network booting protocols, wherein the provisioning comprises:virtualization or re-provisioning using a helper client running on thetarget system; causing network provisioning of virtualized guests to beperformed using the helper client; and causing an existing system to bereinstalled by causing the helper client to request profile informationfrom a remote boot server that has been configured with the server. 2.The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting at least one of aset of software distributions, a set of installation templates, or a setof installation profiles in view of a requirement specified by thetarget system.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting atleast one of a set of software distributions, a set of installationtemplates, or a set of installation profiles in view of an installationconfiguration.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the network bootemulator is built in a standard format accessible by different types oftarget systems.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the network bootemulator is built as a disk image.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein thenetwork boot emulator further comprises instructions for configuring thesoftware installation on the target system.
 7. The method of claim 1,wherein the network boot emulator is further built to comprise a portionof the plurality of software distributions.
 8. A system comprising: anetwork interface; and a processor to: build a network boot emulatorthat comprises instructions to locate a plurality of softwaredistributions and a template, generate a software installation from theplurality of software distributions in view of the template, wherein thetemplate comprises instructions for combining the softwaredistributions, and install the software installation on a system hostingthe network boot emulator; provide, via the network interface, thenetwork boot emulator to a target system that is not supported by anynetwork booting protocols; and provision the plurality of softwaredistributions to the target system without acquiring or maintainingresources or network infrastructure to support any network bootingprotocols by: virtualization or re-provisioning using a helper clientrunning on the target system; causing network provisioning ofvirtualized guests to be performed using the helper client; and causingan existing system to be reinstalled by causing the helper client torequest profile information from a remote boot server that has beenconfigured with the server.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein theprocessor is further to select at least one of a set of softwaredistributions, a set of installation templates, or a set of installationprofiles in view of a requirement specified by the target system. 10.The system of claim 8, wherein the processor is further to select atleast one of a set of software distributions, a set of installationtemplates, or a set of installation profiles in view of an installationconfiguration.
 11. The system of claim 8, wherein the network bootemulator is built in a standard format accessible by different types oftarget systems.
 12. The system of claim 8, wherein the network bootemulator is built as a disk image.
 13. The system of claim 8, whereinthe network boot emulator further comprises instructions for configuringthe software installation on the target system.
 14. The system of claim8, wherein the network boot emulator is further built to comprise aportion of the plurality of software distributions.
 15. A non-transitorycomputer readable medium programmed to comprise instructions that, whenexecuted by a processor of a server, cause the processor to: build, by aserver, a network boot emulator that comprises instructions to locate aplurality of software distributions and a template, generate a softwareinstallation from the plurality of software distributions in view of thetemplate, wherein the template comprises instructions for combining thesoftware distributions, and install the software installation on asystem hosting the network boot emulator; provide the network bootemulator to a target system that is not supported by any network bootingprotocols via a network; and provision, by the server, the plurality ofsoftware distributions to the target system without acquiring ormaintaining resources or network infrastructure to support any networkbooting protocols by: virtualization or re-provisioning using a helperclient running on the target system; causing network provisioning ofvirtualized guests to be performed using the helper client; and causingan existing system to be reinstalled by causing the helper client torequest profile information from a remote boot server that has beenconfigured with the server.
 16. The non-transitory computer readablemedium of claim 15, wherein the processor is further to select at leastone of a set of software distributions, a set of installation templates,or a set of installation profiles based on a requirement specified bythe target system.
 17. The non-transitory computer readable medium ofclaim 15, wherein the processor is further to select at least one of aset of software distributions, a set of installation templates, or a setof installation profiles based on an installation configuration.
 18. Thenon-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the networkboot emulator is built in a standard format accessible by differenttypes of target systems.
 19. The non-transitory computer readable mediumof claim 18, wherein the network boot emulator is built as a disk image.20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein thenetwork boot emulator further comprises instructions for configuring thesoftware installation on the target system.
 21. The non-transitorycomputer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the network boot emulatoris further built to include a portion of the plurality of softwaredistributions.